Argonians
The Argonians are a race of reptilian beings living within the jungles of Argos. The average Argonian is slightly taller and wider than the average human, but there are reportedly many different subspecies with vastly different characteristics. Typical Argonians resemble lizards and similar reptiles, both current and pre-historic, which include traits such as scales, lengthy tails, and sensitive eyes. While their scales are usually green, some Argonians have brightly colored ridges atop the head, around the face, or along the spine. While the do not seem to possess the flexibility of their animal cousins, they do have strong affinity to water. Lore The most prevailing theory among Argonians about their beginnings revolves around the being known as Argos the Traveler. While he, or it, is worshiped in varying degrees across the island, Argonians largely attribute their elevation to sentience as the work of his intervention. According to them, before Argos arrived in his shining chariot of silver, the people of this land did not exist; no sentient life existed. The only inhabitants of the jungle were a plethora of beasts: exotic and colorful birds, savage and bloodthirsty mammals, and of course, the proud and beautiful reptiles. As the legend goes, the reptiles were not the first Argos chose to uplift, but they were the only ones thankful for his gift. Argos first started with the birds, but found that they wanted nothing more than to fly away. Then the selected the mammals, but all they wanted to do was kill each other, so he had no choice but to destroy them. Finally, he took the reptiles into his chariot and as they stood before this iron giant, they basked in his glowing aura and reemerged as his thankful people. For centuries, Argos taught his people how to live; how to build shelters, how grow crops, and how to defend themselves from predators. In exchange, all he asked for was a sign of their thanks--a weekly tribute rares metals unearthed from deep underground. To the newly formed Argonians, they were more than happy to comply for they new that before him, they were nothing and without him, they would likely be nothing once more. Sadly, this co-existence of creator and creation would come to an end. One day, with little warning, Argos returned to his chariot and in a glowing flash of light and fire, he returned to the skies from whence he came. He left behind no final message, nor any proof of his existence aside from the people he uplifed. The Argonians wept for days, believing they had angered him in some way, though no amount of tears, pleas, or prayers would bring about his return. Eventually, the Argonians would go their separate ways as they slowly expanded across the entire island. Though unlike most species, the Argonians seemed to regress with each passing generation; the knowledge given to them by Argos gradually eroding from their minds. Many have feared that in time, more than just his knowledge will be lost, though with this fleeting knowledge, so too does the memories of him decay. Even now, some Argonians think of Argos as little more than myth. Society Argonian society is still largely primitive and disjointed, though a large sect of more civilized Argonians do inhabit central Argos, and the relationship between these two societies is strained, to put it mildly. For the hundreds of small Argonian communities scattered across the jungles of Argos, life is simple but often quite dangerous. These communities, known as saurias, are permanent settlements established where fishing and foraging yields the best bounty. Unfortunately, Argonians are not the top of the food chain. Dozens of lethal predators roam beneath the thick canopy of the jungle, and most of them find any source of meat palatable, including Argonians. Despite the constant dangers of the imposing jungle beasts, they are not the greatest threat to these sauria-dwelling Argonians. Instead, the greatest danger is other Argonians, specifically those from the central Argos. Known as the Teliquo, or the Enlighten People, those who live in central Argos are slowly destroying these saurias and harvesting their fellow Argonians for sacrifice. Despite this noted savagery towards their own kind, the Teliquo are fairly advanced in both agriculture, medicine, and especially warfare. It has been said that the Teliquo possess magical weapons capable turning men to ash. Fortunately for the rest of Tarth, the Teliquo seem perfectly content in destroying their own kind and have never attempted an invasion outside of Argos. Life Beyond Argos As of the Evernight Era, Argonians are an uncommon sight beyond the shores of Argos. They are almost never seen in Valusia due to distance, unfavorable tides, and the crude sea craft they must sail upon. Instead, Argonians more commonly drift ashore in the lands of Azir and Kos, where they tend to fare only slightly better. The Khajiit of Azir are typically not the most endearing sort and legends of ancient, reptilian invaders have been passed down through the generations. Whether it was the result of some past miscommunication or the violent skirmishes as legend would hold, modern day Khajiit continue to hold a great loathing for the "lizard people" and often attack any nearing their shores. In rare cases, Argonian refugees have been allowed to land where they are quickly escorted to the border and told to walk North. Those who refuse are thrown back into the sea, alive or dead, though few have the resolve to resist after the long and excruciating voyage. In Kos, Argonian refugees are treated less violently but are quickly found in shackles and on the slave market within days. While the initial transition period is intense, Argonians achieve acceptance rather quickly considering that Kossian enslavement is preferable to death at the hands of the Teliquo. In fact, after the first few months, Argonians prove to be valuable work assets fully committed to the tasks they are assigned given even the most meager of incentives. Government Leadership of individual saurias is deferred to the eldest members simply because they have survived the longest and thus considered the wisest. There are no struggles for power because, as the eldest say, "life is hard enough without internal conflict." All in all, despite their hunter-gatherer society, the policy of saurias is mostly non-hostile and welcoming. While this approach may have been adequate in the past, the rise of the Teliquo has elevated the uneasiness among these jungle communes. Fearful of being slaughtered by the Enlighted People, more and more saurias have gone into hiding; fleeing their bountiful fishing grounds and taking refuse in any cavern or hole large enough to hold them. Some elders have opted to risk the lives of the sauria upon the open waters seeking a land free of crushing oppression, torture, and death. The Teliquo civilization has been established as a theocracy under the divine protection of Argos, the Traveler. The High Priests of Argos convene regularly to seek his guidance and impose his will. Typically, the will of Argos involves the subjugation, enslavement, and extermination of the lesser sauria dwellers. When times are particularly tough, the will of Argos is sometimes imposed upon the Teliquo people themselves. Make no mistake, the appeasement of Argos is the only rationale the High Priests follow. When not ordering the slaughter of their own kind, the High Priests seem driven to procure precious metals, presumably for idol crafting. International Relations To date, the Teliquo have never attempted any foreign relations and appear content with their efforts to conquer all of Argos. As for the people from the saurias, refugees appear unaware that other civilizations existed beyond their own. Military Argonian saurias have no organized military structure. Instead, their hunters serve no only to gather food but also to protect the sauria from predators and other attackers. At one time, the hunters would stand their ground against any threat but this has changed since the rise of the Teliquo threat. Knowing fully that there is no means of victory against the Teliquo, even the mightiest of Argonian hunters have no choice but to flee. If close to the sauria, the hunters will retreat away from the community in hopes to draw away the opponent to evacuate the non-combatants. While this may portray these hunters as cowards, word has spread about the might of the Teliquo and the devastation they bring. So far, no one who has opposed the Teliquo have won. The Teliquo, on the other hand, appear to have a well structured standing military with weaponry far exceeding the technology level of their sauria-dwelling counterparts. Furthermore, the Teliquo infantry appear to be comprised of subspecies variants bred for warfare. The main variant, typically relegated to infantry purposes, are far larger than ordinary Argonians and vastly more violent. There is rumored to be a second variant that have chameleon-like properties and, if true, would serve well providing reconnaissance. Economy As a whole, the Argonians have virtually no economy and absolutely no trade outside of Argos. The saurias are so spread out along the mainland that interaction is rare, but it is believed that bartering may exist. The Teliquo do not have a currency system, per se, but to place a great deal of value upon the bones of their enemies. It is unknown whether the bones simply serve as status symbols or can be used in trade. Otherwise, all goods and services are provided by some sort of allotment system. On average, the people are provided for with minimal luxury at the lowest caste level. Ultimately though, the proportion of allotments are dictated at the whim of the High Priests. Demographics There are hundreds of saurias throughout Argos, each one usually comprised of two or three families. Life in these small communities is simple, and at times dangerous, but most Argonians prefer it this way. The Teliquo, on the other hand, have established four or five large cities near the great rivers of central Argos, though the placement of these cities appear to be aligned for ritual purposes rather than oriented around environmental conditions. Culture Argonian culture on a whole is difficult to describe adequately since there is very little commonality between different saurias other than each valuing freedom over safety. Each sauria has its own customs and methodologies, largely a result of living in isolation from one another. While generalizations of their individual cultures would not give them due justice, Argonian sauria-dwellers are a non-threatening, laborious folk who live in constant appreciation of the good things the jungle has given them. Some have even taken this appreciation further into the realm of worship. The culture of the Enlighten People, the Teliquo, is far easier to summarize. Their whole culture, their whole society, centers around the worship and appeasement of Argos the Traveler. Since the common Teliquo citizen is incapable of direct communication with Argos, the people must rely upon the High Priests to give them direction. Over time, this reliance has given the priests the great power they hold today where actions are dictated and free thought is rebellion. This partially leads to a common misconception about Argonians. Often, Argonians are thought of as primitive savages incapable of progress or higher learning. This, in fact, is not the case. The Argonian mind as actually quite adaptive though they rarely have strong enough motivating factors to stimulate their ability to think. In the saurias, life is simply "good enough" and they are left mostly unchallenged, save for the oppression of the Teliquo. While being a strong motivator, the arrival of Teliquo war bands all too often marks the annihilation of the sauria. As for the Teliquo themselves, critical thinking has given way to following commands. This also helps explain why Argonian refugees so often find peace-of-mind as servants or even as slaves. Religion While the belief in and worship of Argos is dwindling among the sauria dwellers, to the Enlightened People, dedication to Argos the Traveler is central to one's life. This overwhelming devotion to Argos is a rather sudden deviation from the otherwise downward trend, and that change is the direct result of a discovery within the last 15 years. One night in central Argos, the sky burned like fire before the crack of thunder shook the very ground. Soon, flames erupted from the middle of the jungle and quickly engulfed many of the trees. After the conflagration burned out, the first people to arrive discovered a newly carved valley many miles across and at its edge laid an enormous disc wedged deep into the mountain. The disc had the most brilliant gemstones set upon it edges that flashed with mesmerizing radiance. Many were frightened by the appearance of such an oddity and fled while others stood in awe. Only the handful of bystanders were brave enough to venture towards the metallic structure and not all of them returned. One of them fell deathly ill upon reaching the structure and collapsed as he tried to slither away. A second died only moments after attempted to enter the object after a doorway mysteriously appeared out of thin air. As the doorway opened, it is said that a beam of light struck him in the chest and his heart burst from the inside. Finally, a third was killed deep within the object. The survivors say he became encased in a translucent cylinder and slowly melted like a candle. Of the five that approached the object, two of them emerged hours later, but they were not the same. The had been shown many things, both beautiful and terrible, and when they spoke of these things they elders knew--Argos had returned. He had shown himself only to the few chosen and with the new knowledge bestowed upon them, the first Teliquo were born. Before long, other Argonians would venture to the site and be judged, though few would live. Those who did found that they too had been changed. They had been bettered, either given greater understanding or some physical augmentation. Those who emerged smarter became the new leaders, quickly ousting the elders who currently ruled. Those who became stronger formed the backbone in protecting this new found power. Now the Teliquo have continued to advance under the rule of the High Priests of Argos who protect the site and regularly enter to speak with Argos directly. Sometimes they bring champions to the site to be judged and, hopefully, uplifted but otherwise no one else is allowed to enter. Ritual Sacrifice According to the High Priests, Argos' fiery return was a sign of his anger in being forgotten. If being given life were no reason enough to remember, then surely the threat of death will remain as a constant reminder. Though the method and number slain per sacrificial interval seems arbitrary, the rituals are performed with precision. About the only thing that is truly understood about these rituals is that problems among the Teliquo arise, the saurias suffer as a result.